What do senior decision-makers think of your marketing and sales efforts? What are they responding to? What do they want more or less of from you?

These questions were at the heart of our recent Sales & Marketing Forum, where we heard from IT buyers about their attitudes and experiences of marketing. We’re now running debriefing sessions for people who weren’t able to make the evening (request a session), but we’ve also collated online the presentations from three speakers:

• Keith Mitchell, former Global Head of Shared Infrastructure, Reuters
• Claire Myerson, Information Technology Solutions Director, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
• Chris Cottam, former European Marketing Manager, HP

The presentation can be downloaded at http://www.themarketingpractice.com/documents/S&M_PeepShow.ppt – but it might be best read alongside some of the following thoughts (a short summary of my impressions, I hasten to add, not necessarily those of the speakers)…

Breaking in as a new supplier

The speakers had mixed views on specific channels to use to approach a buyer. Unanimously, social media and online channels (like webinars – as long as they last less than an hour and start at a time that is clear to a UK audience) are growing in importance. Keith’s point around web 2.0 was important to bear in mind when planning new social media initiatives: while he uses it for research and to bring insights/experiences into his team, you shouldn’t expect him to reciprocate or actively contribute.

The general message with other channels (direct mail, email, events…) was that the content needs to be either incredibly targeted or impactful (whether in a creative or business sense) for there to be any results. Claire emphasised that business buyers are also consumers and that inventive approaches or creative impact can have their place. But she was clear that nothing resonates more from a new supplier than stories of having done similar work for someone else in her industry.

Part of the issues suppliers face is to make sure that they are working where the money is. The example Chris used was the desire of almost all IT suppliers to become a ‘trusted advisor’ and the danger that such a strategy can significantly damage transactional revenue streams (which can be up to 75% of IT budgets) and leave the door open for the competition at a more practical level.

In the battle to reach the CIO or IT Director, don’t underestimate the role of the PA. Keith made the point that his PA would know what was on his agenda, would often be as interested in the content as he was, and would be able to open doors to other key people in the department. The overall message is that you should treat the PA as if they were themselves the CIO.

What do buyers want from existing suppliers?

We found in our own research that existing suppliers were seen as the most important source of information for buyers. This was confirmed by the forum speakers – particularly against sources like analysts, who received mixed reviews (some useful industry-specific analysts exists, but the big names seem increasingly irrelevant, especially compared with user-generated content online).

The speakers described how, in their best relationships, suppliers work alongside customers to plan out priorities for the year. It means that suppliers can share ideas, understand what they can expect, and avoid trying to sell anything inappropriate. It’s good to have shared formal account plans written down – although Chris did make the point that suppliers need to evaluate exactly how much effort to put into individual accounts depending on the business value they are likely to deliver. He used the example of people following the account-based marketing bandwagon without properly understanding the consequences both for the focus accounts and for the others that are left behind.

Keith wanted suppliers to be constantly sharing information – not only about industry or product trends, but also about them and their own activities. His worry was that suppliers would only communicate when they had something to sell, but at a time like this that can mean not being well positioned when spending does come back online. Having said that, his advice was also that, when you are in productive conversations, not to be too cautious about pushing the deal to a close. If there is a clear interest on his part it is frustrating if there is too much procrastination.

What can marketing do to help?

All the speakers had examples of marketing working well with sales and the customer – as well as examples of where things did not seem joined up. Claire’s advice was for marketers to work hard to ensure their offers reflect what sales already know about a businesses’ priorities.

At the same time, marketing has a lot to offer that sales cannot. For example, marketing can be a great vehicle for bringing in inspiration (sharing examples of other clients in the same industry) or strengthening ties with a supplier (through activities like industry forums or conferences).

Some specific ideas from the panel included:

• Working to celebrate success – for example, creating a video to celebrate a project going live (can strengthen the relationship with the customer and lead to future opportunities).
• Focusing on activities that give real value to individual customer contacts. One example given was a programme of MBA modules run by one supplier, where marketing had identified some key learning requirements and were supporting those.
• Using the opportunity of the recession to double-down on client references – increasingly important to be able to prove that you offer the low-risk alternative.
• Getting more personal in communications – not only in understanding customer issues, but also simply in the style of communication. For instance, Keith pointed out that graphics and formatting in emails are lost by the time they reach his Blackberry – and they also instantly make the message less personal.
• Staying honest and pragmatic – whereas hospitality is becoming increasingly difficult for customers to accept, the offer of a charitable donation (especially to a corporate charity) can persuade a customer to give up their time.

Ever wondered what sales would do in your shoes with your budget? Want to know what sales people think are the most effective types of marketing programme? Ron Rose of HP Exstream, career IT salesman tells all…

How did you get started in IT, and what path has your career taken?

I got into IT by accident rather than design – a variety of early roles led to working for a company producing software and hardware to process cheque remittances. I had a mentor there who spotted the sales potential I had and I then took a sales role within a legal software company. At the time, software was urgently needed by legal firms, conveyancing levels were high, as was debt collection volume. Solicitors needed to computerise their time recording, start to use email, log and track documents – it was the ideal industry for technology. The company I worked for was acquired by Sanderson, one of its major products, Minder, monitored debt recovery for customers like Barclaycard. Tallyman, also a debt management product, was then developed by Sanderson. I was involved in the launch of the product and went on to sell it to customers like Lombard and British Gas and Barclays. I went on to join the London Bridge Software sales operation (later acquired by Fair Isaac) selling their Debt Manager product. After launching and running my own software reseller business for 3 years, I joined HP’s Exstream division about a year ago.

What has shaped the way you work with marketing?

During my time at Sanderson, I was actively involved in the development for a debt management software product called Tallyman. This was my first experience of developing a joint go-to-market strategy with the marketing team, and was instrumental in shaping the way I work with marketing departments now. I saw the power of merging the two disciplines during the Tallyman launch. Sales and marketing were heavily involved in all aspects, from the creation of the position and message through to the creative aspects, direct marketing and follow up. I had to work through the whole process: how do we express what this software does? How do we make the differences it has versus the competition clear? How can we get the message out? I developed an appreciation that getting all of that right is not easy. Throughout the process, sales and marketing were not two separate entities, and were never seen as such – perhaps it is the nature of a new product launch that it clarifies and makes urgent what needs to be done. As a result, we had such a dependency on each other to make Tallyman a success that I developed a deep understanding of and commitment to the marketing process.

The second major factor was an experience at London Bridge. In conjunction with the marketers, we created a joint go-to-market plan for Debt Manager. The plan was designed to support the sales process along the length of the sales funnel and sales and marketing worked together on this. Sales drove the intel from the perspective of what clients were feeling and needing, and marketing drove the positioning and messaging to attract the right type of people. They also provided the engine room to execute the programme. It was an integrated campaign that took place over the course of a year or so, and included multiple elements from seminars and thought-leadership to lead nurturing and more gentle contact activity. There was no formal “handover” point; more colleagues working together to develop a market and generate quality interest. It re-energised a whole market for London Bridge, made the product relevant to people’s challenges brought in great opportunities and have us a number of excuses to go back to people.

What changes have you seen in the way that sales and marketing work together since your experiences at Sanderson?

I’ve seen quite big changes. Marketing is less a department and more a process – more a science. In my experience, marketing teams have always been concerned with lead generation, but it used to be in the direct response arena. The marketing teams would send follow up letters and collateral after the salesman’s cold call. It’s more proactive now, plus lead generation is not the be-all-and-end-all, it’s a component of a much wider discipline.

Where can gaps between sales and marketing arise?

I’ve seen this in every IT organisation. There seems to be a cynicism, a kind of barrier, between sales and marketing people. I’m not sure why this arises, but in my view most marketing people seem very willing to engage in the lead generation process. Perhaps it happens because sales people just aren’t incentivised to engage with marketing. Sales training is also quite narrow – it doesn’t teach marketing engagement, which could be really helpful.

Poor mapping back to corporate objectives can often be to blame. The sales plan, the marketing plan and joint GTM plans have to back directly into the business’ strategy. Sales must sell what they have now, they can’t sell the future. Marketing have a more difficult balancing act; supporting now’s sales with tomorrow’s market and business development.

What’s the best example of marketing working well with you/the sales team?

It has to be the experience of the seminar campaign programme at London Bridge for Debt Manager. Why? Because in creating the GTM strategy we really questioned what we were doing. We reinvigorated a great product by building on its heritage and developed content that people wanted access to. We generated leads, all the time positioning us far enough from competitors that we were able to engage on our own terms. The programme enhanced our credibility as a company and the content we generated fed into the entire sales approach: sales pitches and bid support reinforced the messages and helped us close the deals.

What are the biggest opportunities sales and marketing have to work more closely together?

They are absolutely everywhere. It’s a question that’s very different because of the different cultures organisation to organisation. However, as a general point I would say that marketing people will get great knowledge and a lot of respect from getting more involved in the sales process itself. If they get out and meet customers, understand the products backwards, they can then get more involved in supporting the sales funnel right to the end. For example, a lot of bid documentation and presentations should have a marketing eye cast over them. Positioning, messaging, consistency – they’re critical in bids and marketing has a lot to add in this environment. I don’t believe in a designated handover point between sales and marketing, they should work together through the length of the funnel.

What would you spend marketing’s budget on if you had it?

If you asked 100 sales people, I suspect that 90 of them would say “corporate hospitality”. Partly because it’s a day out for them, and partly because they are incentivised around closing deals and the opportunity to build relationships is really valuable for them. Personally, I’d spend it on solid product awareness – being known by the right people for the right stuff. I’d want to make sure that I was automatically on the list to receive relevant RFIs; a seat at the table for big bids.

What are the most valuable things sales people get from marketing?

Lead generation without a doubt. It’s worth saying that lead numbers from marketing don’t impact my views of marketing effectiveness. My expectation as a salesperson is that I need and expect to be out there generating leads. If marketing’s doing its job well, that should be straightforward for me. Any leads I receive from marketing are a welcome bonus.

Market research is right up there too. There’s some great information and intelligence about competitors and key accounts around but I don’t always have time to track it all down. Marketing’s digest of this and view on what it means are really valuable.

The positioning, messaging and referenceability material is vital too.

What can sales teams do to work better with marketing?

The biggest battle is that sales need to believe in marketing. But sales teams are under pressure too, and the onus has to be on marketing to sell what it does and demonstrate the value. Best way to do that? It has to be to generate leads and work back from there. Marketers should work hard to develop joint GTM plans with sales and allocate a shared responsibility for its outcomes.